Ch#70
It was truly a whirlwind of an entrance and exit.
Igret slung her arms around the shoulders of Danal, who had appeared out of nowhere, and Ricky, who looked utterly dazed, and shouted, “With this, everyone is happy!”
Watching the spectacle with the intent of seeing just how far she would take it, Elric was indeed impressed.
“Well then, I should be going! W—Wife! Thank you for the hospitality…!”
“Ah, yes.”
“Boys, let’s go!”
Even though the meal hadn’t even begun, Igret signaled her intent to leave and started dragging the two men away.
As the atmosphere settled into her simply taking the two of them with her, Tiria stepped forward.
“However, could you leave the knights behind for a moment?”
“Huh?”
“My apologies, but as they were only recently appointed to this fief, it would be quite distressing if they were to leave like this. I understand your intentions, Mage-nim, but we require a little time.”
Tiria said this thinking they were knights Elric had put effort into recruiting.
Though spoken for such a reason, the impact was monumental.
“My Lady!”
“Master!”
To Danal and Ricky, who felt like pigs being led to the slaughterhouse, Tiria was a savior in that moment.
She was a light pulling them from the fires of hell to embrace them warmly, and at the same time, a hero standing against a great evil to save the people.
Her expression, which they had previously thought merely sullen, now appeared dignified.
Her precise way of speaking was like a general reading a speech from a podium.
Gallant, brave, and beautiful!
Unable to contain their rising emotions, tears welled up in the eyes of Danal and Ricky.
“Hmm, then alright! I understand!”
Since Igret even agreed, the incident was perfectly resolved.
In the first place, it was an argument that was bound to work.
Igret’s goal was an excuse for the words she had impulsively blurted out about ‘coming to find her fiancé,’ and at the same time, to ‘draw a line with Kasha,’ who she assumed still had lingering feelings for her, wasn’t it?
Regardless of the truth, since the aforementioned goals had all been achieved, she had no further business with the two knights.
“Boys, see you later!”
Thump!
Releasing her grip on their collars, Igret waved her arms broadly with a laugh and vanished from the mansion just like that.
Only then did silence descend.
She left loyalty in Danal and Ricky, relief in Edward, and questions in Elric.
‘In the end, what did that woman come here for?’
Elric was left lost in thought for a moment.
It was after dinner, once the chaos had passed.
One of the unwelcome guests who had arrived so abruptly was gone, but three more still remained.
It was a headache, but whatever it was, it had to be dealt with.
“That was an entertaining show. I didn’t know the Flame was such a jovial person.”
Late at night, in the reception room.
Elric, having sent Tiria back to her room, narrowed his eyes at Elbus’s words.
It was an act of clear displeasure, but Elbus merely shrugged nonchalantly in response.
“Could I have known and come here? This is all just a remarkable coincidence.”
“That isn’t exactly what I want to hear.”
However, it wasn’t as if he didn’t understand the reason they had come.
As mentioned before, Elric had been reacting sensitively to news from the West to the point where he could guess their objectives to some extent.
“Prince, it has been a long time.”
Elric gave a small nod.
Only then did the 3rd Prince, Credon Mahir, who had been sitting with his legs crossed, remove his fedora.
Blonde hair and red eyes.
The elegant, handsome man exhaled a long breath and replied.
“It has been a while. Kasha.”
“You know that is no longer my name, do you not?”
“It is that name that I have need of.”
The imperial thorn, Credon Mahir.
For Elric, this was their second meeting since the Imperial Banquet.
Though several years had passed, that blunt personality didn’t seem to have changed in the slightest.
“First, could you dismiss that man?”
Credon pointed at Edward, who was munching on some refreshments.
“Hmm?”
Tilting his head, Edward soon broke into a sly smirk.
“Aww, are you really going to make me feel left out like this? I came here because I have business of my own, you know.”
“Wasn’t your business with the Flame?”
“Oops, Elder. I told you I was sorry about that, didn’t I?”
Edward’s eyebrows drooped as if he were being wronged.
Certainly, Edward had apologized as soon as Igret left. He emphasized several times that it all stemmed from an accidental mistake and even declared he held no ill will.
But could he possibly be looked upon kindly for that?
Even if it were a mistake, it was undeniable that it led to a disaster.
Besides, the fact that Elric’s feelings toward him weren’t great to begin with played a part.
“You should be grateful that we are inside the mansion. You.”
When Elric expressed those feelings in a single sentence, Edward made a deflated face.
However, he didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving quietly.
“Hooo… I really don’t have any allies here.”
“If you know that, why don’t you be on your way?”
“I believe that’s a different matter. No, it’s not like I want to be here either. Yes, I don’t want to get on your nerves, Elder. But the thing is, how can I leave when those people are sitting right there?”
Edward pointed at Credon and Elbus.
“Let’s be open about this. You guys came here to recruit the Elder too, didn’t you?”
“I am not so brainless as to say such things to a general of an enemy nation.”
“You’ve already given your answer. Whatever.”
A sharp tension flowed between Credon and Edward.
Elric furrowed his brow.
“……If that was the case, you could have just written a letter.”
He didn’t want his peace disturbed.
The thought of returning to the battlefield when the time came was also gradually fading.
That was an undeniable fact.
Yet, that very heart had resulted in bringing these people to his fief, which was distressing.
Just what were they all making such a fuss about to get one cripple?
“Please go back. I have nothing to say.”
It was the moment Elric was about to stand up.
“What if I say I must speak with you? It is an important matter.”
“Same for me. It’s a matter of my life being on the line.”
Credon and Edward voiced the same opinion.
By that point, Elric had no choice but to wonder.
‘Is something happening on the battlefield that I don’t know about?’
No, if there truly was something he didn’t know, it would likely be on the Empire’s side.
After all, Edward’s goal was probably to protect the major shareholder, Zerdia, and keep the battlefield in a stalemate.
Having lived on the battlefield for a long time, Elric knew.
The most perfect way to avoid the fires of war was not to turn away, but to face them and walk in the opposite direction.
There was nothing as terrifying as a lack of information.
The conversation was worth hearing.
His decision was made.
“……Then I shall hear the Prince’s side first.”
“What about me?”
“You may leave. I have no intention of listening to your business.”
“Elder?”
Dismay bloomed on Edward’s face.
He scratched his head and let out another heavy sigh, then leaned his upper body forward and spoke.
“I don’t intend to be one-sided like them. I have no intention of keeping you tied to the battlefield in the first place, either.”
What he immediately brought up was a settlement—in other words, a business proposal.
“Just once. You only need to swing your sword on the battlefield once. You probably know which battlefield it is, so I’ll skip that part, but if you just do it, I’ll compensate you handsomely. If you want, I can even take follow-up measures so that nothing related to the battlefield ever happens again. I told you before, didn’t I? I’m on the side that opposes you coming to the battlefield.”
In the end, he was asking him to save Zerdia.
The conditions attached were, in fact, tempting to Elric in some ways.
Because it meant Edward would put his name on the line to prevent incidents like today.
Having already suffered one ordeal, it was natural for him to hesitate.
Whether Edward sensed that or not, his smile deepened.
Edward looked toward the Imperial side with a boastful air.
However, that smile did not last long.
“Pfft…!”
Elbus, who had been silently listening until then, laughed.
It was a laugh that highlighted his characteristic deviousness.
Just what on earth was so funny?
It was the moment that thought crossed their minds.
“Listen here, friend.”
Elbus spoke up.
“Not a single one of the rewards Geumgong offered is of any practical help to you. Am I right?”
Wonder dawned on Elric’s face.
A vein popped on Edward’s forehead.
Meanwhile, only Elbus remained composed.
“Listen here, Geumgong.”
“What is it?”
“Hmm, how should I put this.”
Tap, tap.
Elbus tapped his cheek with his index finger, then gave a bright smile.
“You have to do all those things you mentioned even if Elric doesn’t step onto the battlefield.”
“What?”
“Because that friend is your shareholder.”
“What does that mean…?”
In an instant, Edward’s expression went blank.
It was because a thought had flashed through his mind.
‘Wait a minute.’
Elbus’s relaxed attitude.
The face of Kasha, who looked like he knew nothing.
The word ‘shareholder.’
And the 6% stakeholder, KS, who had been silent within EW.
Since he had been quite a bit of a headache lately due to the matter of KS, the causal link was formed quickly.
‘Kasha. Kasha. KS?’
It was the moment the hypothesis was completed.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I told you. I invested the money you entrusted to me.”
Elbus gestured toward Edward with his chin.
“I put it in there.”
Suspicion became certainty.
Edward’s reaction was swift.
He slid down from the sofa and knelt politely on the floor.
A picture-perfect politeness filled Edward’s posture.
It was to the point it could be featured in a textbook.
“So you were right here?”
Edward looked up at Elric imploringly.
It was the face of a puppy that had found its lost master.
“Shareholder-nim…?”
The words for shareholder and master were practically synonymous.
At least to Edward, they were.
Whimper…
Making such a pained sound, Edward’s eyes sparkled brightly.
Recruitment be damned; Edward’s head began to fill with nothing but the thought of getting on the shareholder’s good side.